Official rules

By participating in the 2017 Young & Free Maine Sound Off Music Contest (“The Contest”), you agree to be subject to the Contest Rules (the “Contest Rules”) set forth below.

Submission

For the purposes of The Contest, the term “Submission” refers to an audio file or a video file of your original song.

Entrants

For the purposes of The Contest, the term “Entrant” includes any individual who submits Submission, including each member of a Soloist/Duo or a Group Entrant.

Contest Sponsors

The Maine Credit Union League and Currency Marketing (together, the “Contest Sponsors”), co-own and operate the Young & Free Maine Program.

Entrant eligibility

There are two categories of Entrants: (1) Soloist/Duo Entrant Category; and (2) Group Entrant Category.

At the time of making the Submission: (1) each Soloist must be between 18 and 25 years of age; (2) for a Duo Entrant, each member must be at least 18 years of age, and at least one member must be between 18 and 25 years of age; and (3) for a Group Entrant, each member must be at least 18 years of age, and at least one member must be between 18 and 25 years of age.

· The same individual may submit only one (1) Submission either as a Soloist/Duo Entrant, OR as a Group Entrant.

The Entrant, including each member of a Soloist/Duo Entrant or a Group Entrant, must be a legal resident of Maine.

To be eligible, the Entrant, including each member of a Soloist/Duo Entrant or a Group Entrant, must not currently be under a recording or management contract.

· Employees, officials, retirees and representatives of The Contest Sponsors and their respective afﬁliates, including credit unions located in the State of Maine, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, and members of the immediate families of those employees or any persons with whom they are domiciled are not eligible to participate in The Contest.

· For the purpose of The Contest, “immediate families” is deﬁned as sibling, spouse, mother, father, grandparents, brother, sister, son and/or daughter, including “step” relationships.

The Contest Sponsors shall have the right at any time to require proof of identity and/or eligibility from each Entrant, including from each member of a Soloist/Duo or Group Entrant to participate in The Contest.

All personal and other information requested by and supplied to the Contest Sponsors for the purpose of The Contest must be truthful, complete, accurate, and in no way misleading.

In the event of a dispute, the Submission shall be deemed to be submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the Submission.

General Rules

By entering The Contest, each Entrant, including each member of a Soloist/Duo Entrant or a Group Entrant, agrees to abide by the Contest Rules and by the award decisions of the Contest Sponsors. Each Entrant also agrees to comply with all applicable state and federal laws.

The Contest Sponsors may at any time in their sole discretion disqualify any Entrant who:

Does not meet Entrant Eligibility criteria as outlined in the Contest Rules;

Fails to comply with the Contest Rules;

Attempts to enter The Contest in any manner or through any means other than as outlined in the Contest Rules;

Attempts to disrupt The Contest; or

Attempts to circumvent any of the Contest Rules

The decisions of the Contest Sponsors in relation to The Contest will be ﬁnal and binding on all Entrants.

The Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the

State of Maine.

The Contest Sponsors will not enter into correspondence with any Entrant except with the selected winners (the “Winners”) and at the Contest Sponsors’ own initiative.

Contest Dates

Submissions to The Contest will be accepted from January 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm EST through 3:00 pm EST on February 20, 2017, (the “Entry Period”).

Voting for The Contest begins February 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm EST and closes at 3:00 pm EST on March 9, 2017 (the “Public Voting Period”).

Judging of Submissions to The Contest begins March 10, 2017 at 3:01 pm EST and will be completed by March 23, 2017 (the “Judging Period”).

The top three finalists from each category will be announced on or about March 10, 2017 at 5:00 pm EST.

Announcement of the Winners of The Contest will be made on or around March 23, 2017 at 2:00 pm EST.

How to Enter

No purchases or entry fees are required to enter or win The Contest.

Entrants may enter The Contest during the Entry Period by visiting YoungFreeMaine.com and fully completing the online entry form and following instructions for making a Submission.

The Contest Sponsors will not be responsible for any lost, delayed, misdirected, illegible, incomplete, damaged or undeliverable Submissions, or any delay or failure to transmit, process, receive or consider Submissions.

Entrants agree

By entering The Contest, each Entrant represents, declares, and agrees that:

Entrant is the original creator and the sole owner of the entire Submission, including, the musical composition, together with any accompanying lyrics and the sound recording;

The Submission meets all of the eligibility requirements set out in these Contest Rules;

The Submission is being submitted on a non-conﬁdential basis and, the Contest Sponsors may use the Submission as set forth in the “License” section below, including posting the Submission to a website, use of the Submission in advertising, or otherwise use that Submission in connection with The Contest without notice or compensation to the Entrant;

Entrant is able and willing to perform at the Sound Off Showdown on March 23, 2017 if selected as a top three finalist in either the Soloist/Duos category or the Group category;

Entrant is able and willing to accept one of the published prizes (the “Prize”) as described below, in the event the Entrant is determined a winner (a “Winner”); and

With respect to the Duo Entrants and Group Entrants, each member thereof is bound by the Contest Rules regardless of whether or not he/she is the member who completed the Application form and/or otherwise submitted the Submission on behalf of the Duo Entrant or Group Entrant.

License

By entering The Contest, each Entrant, including each member of a Soloist/Duo or Group Entrant, hereby grants to the Contest Sponsors a fully paid-up, royalty free, perpetual, worldwide, sub-licensable, irrevocable, unrestricted and exclusive right to use the Submission for purposes of promoting The Contest in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to, publishing it in an electronic form on the Young & Free Maine website and elsewhere for promotional purposes without further compensation, notification or permission. The Contest Sponsors also have the right to (but are not required to) use each Entrant’s name, image, likeness, age, voice, performances, photographs, statements and biographical information in credit along with the Submission.

Submission Eligibility

Each Submission must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for The Contest:

Must be original in its entirety, including the musical composition, together with any accompanying lyrics and the sound recording, and must be owned solely by the Entrant(s). NO COVER VERSIONS.

May be a music video or audio only recording.

Must meet the technical speciﬁcations required for it to be uploaded to, and received by, the contest website at www.YoungFreeMaine.com by the end of the Entry Period of The Contest.

May not contain any content that violates any law or any third party's rights (including trademark, copyright, privacy, personality and intellectual property rights).

May not contain copyrighted material owned by others (including recordings, sampling or “scratch” and other works published or used on or in websites, television, movies or other media).

May not promote, depict or refer to any commercial enterprises other than Young & Free Maine.

May not contain any language or images that conﬂict with any of the Contest Sponsors core values, or otherwise be objectionable to the Contest Sponsors (as determined by the Contest Sponsors in their sole discretion). Prohibited subject matter standards include, but are not limited to:

Sexual subject matter of any nature;

Political subject matter of any nature;

Offensive racial/prejudicial subject matter of any nature;

Offensive religious subject matter of any nature;

Offensive language of any nature;

Advertising of any nature;

Self-promotion of any nature;

Branded products/services;

Solicitations, including telephone numbers or services of any nature (e.g., 900 or 800 numbers);

Affiliation with groups that are determined to be of a “socially unacceptable” nature, including scenes, names or symbols; or

The Contest Sponsors reserve the sole right and discretion to interpret these eligibility criteria, and to otherwise deny any subject matter or graphic based on this interpretation.

Prizes

Three prizes will be awarded in each category (the Soloist/Duo Entrant Category and Group Entrants Category).

One 1st Prize for each category

The 1st Prize package consists of a $500 Gift Certificate at Main Street Music Studios, Bangor. Prize may be used for a recording session, musicians or iTunes prep. The First Prize Winner(s) will also be awarded the opportunity to perform live for a 15-minute spot at the Street Eats & Beats, to be held on May 20 2017, provided the same takes place as intended by its organizers. Exact details of the date, time and venue will be confirmed, as they become available.

The 1st Prize package also includes a set of promotional materials provided by Young & Free Maine featuring the 1st place winners. The promotional materials may include a poster, post cards, stickers, business cards and/or digital graphics as determined and selected by the Contest Sponsors in their sole discretion. The Contest Sponsors may but shall not be required to provide the 1st Prize Winner(s) with an iteration of said promotional materials before a final design is chosen.

One 2nd Prize for each category

The 2nd Prize package will be a video to be shot and edited by the Young & Free Maine Spokester (the “Spokester”). Shooting of the video(s) will be completed by May 31, 2017. The exact details of video outline and shooting schedule will be confirmed with the Spokester.

The 2nd Prize package also includes a set of promotional materials provided by Young & Free Maine featuring the 2nd place winners. The promotional materials may include a poster, post cards, stickers, business cards and/or digital graphics as determined and selected by the Contest Sponsors in their sole discretion. The Contest Sponsors may but shall not be required to provide the 2nd Prize Winner(s) with an iteration of said promotional materials before a final design is chosen.

One 3rd Prize for each category

The 3rd Prize package will be a set of promotional materials provided by Young & Free Maine featuring the 3rd place winners. The promotional materials may include a poster, post cards, stickers, business cards and/or digital graphics as determined and selected by the Contest Sponsors in their sole discretion. The Contest Sponsors may but shall not be required to provide the 3rd Prize Winner(s) with an iteration of said promotional materials before a final design is chosen.

All Winners are eligible to have a video interview of them published on the Young & Free Maine website.

All Prizes must be accepted as awarded (with no substitutions). Any costs, taxes and fees associated with accepting and/or using the Prizes shall be the sole responsibility of the Winners.

In the event that a prizewinner is unable to accept a prize, the Contest Sponsors may but shall not be required to award the prize to another Entrant chosen by the Contest Sponsors in their sole discretion.

Prize Eligibility

To be eligible to claim a Prize, each Winner, including each member of the Solo/Duo Entrant winner and of the Group Entrant winner, must:

Sign a Release Form provided by the Contest Sponsors, declaring compliance with the Contest Rules; assigning all rights to the Submission to the Contest Sponsors; and releasing the Contest Sponsors, their affiliates and respective advertising and promotions agencies from any liability in connection with The Contest or the Prizes awarded.

Produce valid identification and, if requested by the Contest Sponsors, proof of age and photo identification.

Confirm that the Winner is the original creator of the Submission and that Winner owns all rights to it and is authorized to fully assign all rights to the Contest Sponsors as contemplated above.

Winners Determination

Top Three Finalists in each category will be determined by: the top two vote-getters in the public vote on the YoungFreeMaine.com site, plus one wild-card pick by The Contest Sponsors based on the quality, contents, and appeal of the Submission. The Top Three Finalists will move on to the judging phase.

At the judging phase, the Winners of the Prizes will be determined by a judging committee, based on the combination of public vote, Sound Off Showdown performance and on suitability, as determined by the Contest Sponsors and their partners in their sole discretion.

How to vote

The public may vote for their favorite Submission during the Public Voting Period by visiting YoungFreeMaine.com and following the instructions on The Contest website. Voting will be open to the general public.

Vote Eligibility

There is a limit of one vote, per person, per legitimate email address. Votes that do not meet the eligibility criteria will be disqualified.

Votes made under multiple identities, or through the use of any device or artifice to enter multiple times, or entries that are in excess of the permitted number of entries during The Contest period are automatically void. The use of vote-garnering websites is strictly prohibited and may lead to disqualification of votes or the Entrant.

Announcing Winners

The Winners will be announced on YoungFreeMaine.com and in the media.

Potential Winners who cannot be contacted, despite reasonably diligent efforts, may be disqualified.

Conduct

By participating in The Contest, each Entrant agrees to be bound by the Contest Rules and by the decisions of the Contest Sponsors, which shall be final and binding in all respects. The Contest Sponsors reserve the sole right, and discretion, to disqualify any Entrant found to be: (a) violating the Contest Rules; (b) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of The Contest; (c) violating the terms of service, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of Young & Free Maine and/or Maine Credit Union League; and/or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.

Disclaimers, liability, and indemnification

By participating in The Contest, the Entrant releases and agrees to indemnify and hold The Contest Sponsors and their employees, directors, officers, affiliates, agents, judges and advertising and promotional agencies harmless from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from Entrant’s participation in The Contest or receipt or use of any Prize.

The Entrant acknowledges and agrees that The Contest Sponsors do not have now, nor shall they have in the future, any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright in and to the Submission.

The Contest Sponsors shall have no liability for any loss or damage of any Submissions entered in The Contest or for any other loss or damage resulting directly or indirectly from Entrant participation in The Contest.

Privacy/use of personal information

By participating in The Contest, the Entrant: (a) grants to the Contest Sponsors the right to use his/her/its name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (“Personal Information”) for the purpose of administering The Contest, including but not limited to contacting and announcing the Winners; (b) grants to The Contest Sponsors the right to use his/her Personal Information for publicity and promotional purposes relating to The Contest, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, without further compensation unless prohibited by law; and (c) acknowledges that the Contest Sponsors may disclose Entrant’s Personal Information to third-party agents and service providers of any of the Contest Sponsors in connection with any of the activities listed in (a) and (b) above. The Contest Sponsors will use the Entrant’s Personal Information only for identified purposes, and protect the Entrant’s Personal Information in a manner that is consistent with the Contest Sponsors’ Privacy Policy.

Termination

If for any reason the Contest Sponsors cannot run The Contest as planned (including, without limitation, as a result of insufficient number of qualified Submissions, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, infection by computer virus or any other cause that corrupts, impairs or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of The Contest), the Contest Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, modify, extend or suspend The Contest. In that event, the Contest Sponsors may determine the Winners from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment, or cancel The Contest.

Language discrepancy

In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the Contest Rules and disclosures or other statements contained in any materials related to The Contest, including but not limited to The Contest application form, or point of sale, print or online advertising, the Contest Rules shall prevail, govern and control.

General

The odds of winning a Prize are dependent on the total number of eligible Submissions received, the total number of votes received for the Submissions and the decisions of the judges.

The decisions of The Contest Sponsors in relation to The Contest will be final and binding.

The Contest Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify Entrants and/or Submissions that do not comply with The Contest Rules.